Interview Reveals Casting Changes for One Piece Live Action Season 2

On July 19, 2024, Deadline conducted an interview with the officials of One Piece Live Action season 2 who confirmed that Jamie Lee Curtis will not be portraying the character of Dr. Kureha. This decision was made due to conflicting schedules, leading to the role being offered to another individual.

One Piece Live Action began airing on August 31, 2023, with the series’ creator serving as the executive producer. The first season was produced by Tomorrow Studios and streamed on Netflix. On September 14, 2023, a sequel to the live-action series was confirmed, and on July 2, 2024, the official X of the series announced the start of production.

One Piece Live Action Season 2 Cast for Dr Kureha still a mystery

Dr Kureha as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

During an interview, Marty Adelstein, CEO of Tomorrow Studios, and Becky Clements, President of ITV Studios, were questioned about their upcoming projects, including the highly anticipated second season of One Piece Live Action.

The main focus of the interview was whether or not Jamie Lee Curtis will reprise her role as Dr. Kureha in the upcoming live-action sequel of One Piece.

Despite her expressed desire to play the role of Dr. Kureha, American actress and producer Jamie Lee Curtis will not be able to take on the role due to conflicting schedules with the One Piece Live Action season 2. Curtis, known for her performances in films such as The Fog, Elizabeth Solley, and Megan Turner, has confirmed this in a recent interview.

The interviewer inquired about the possibility of someone else portraying her character. Although the company president did not disclose a specific name, he did confirm that the role of Dr. Kureha would be filled by an “amazing individual,”aside from Jamie Lee Curtis.

One Piece Live Action Season 2 Updates: Oda’s Involvement, Potential Delays, and More

The Straw Hat Pirate crew as seen in the live-action (Image via Netflix)

The interviewer inquired about the progress of the live-action sequel, to which Clements responded that they were currently in their third week of production. He mentioned that the biggest challenge they were facing was rain, but also expressed that Eiichiro Oda’s exceptional source material served as a constant source of motivation for the team.

Clements also disclosed that due to the rain, they had to relocate the shooting to an indoor setting, which was not ideal. However, they intend to reshoot the scenes once the weather improves. The President further shared that the series has a team of approximately 900-1200 individuals, emphasizing that there will be no compromise on the quality.

Chopper as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The company president has confirmed that Oda played a significant role in the planning of the live-action sequel. Additionally, it was revealed that the production of the One Piece Live Action season will take some time due to the heavy focus on VFX (virtual effects). This has sparked speculation that Chopper may also make an appearance in the sequel.

Finally, the interviewer brought up a statement made by the company president in the past, in which he claimed that the source material for the series was enough to cover 6 seasons (1000+ chapters). The company president reaffirmed this statement and mentioned that Matt Owens, the showrunner for the live-action adaptation, is constantly brainstorming ideas for it.